The Prisons Inspector has written to Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, demanding that HMP Winchester be placed into emergency measures due to ‘very high’ levels of violence, self-harm, drug use and poor accommodation standards.
The inspection of the Hampshire jail stated that drugs, debt and prisoner frustration had led to the highest levels of serious assaults against staff of all reception prisons. The report also found that prisoners had complained about a lack of mental health support, with the watchdog stating that 47% of prisoners claimed that it was easy to get hold of illicit substances. The Inspectorate for Prisons also questioned whether some cells were ‘fit for habitation’ due to their poor conditions.
In the letter, Martin Lomas, HM Deputy Chief Inspector of Prisons, stated that Winchester was in a very poor state, with standards deteriorating to the point that an Urgent Notification for improvement had to be issued. He further wrote that ‘these very poor outcomes represent systemic failings’, and that ‘sustained support and investment’ is needed for the jail to provide adequate living conditions.
Responding to the situation at Winchester, Andrea Coomber KC, Chief Executive of the Howard league for Penal Reform said, ‘Winchester is a prison so broken that a man could remove his own cell door. It has been asked to do too much, with too little, for too long’.
As reported previously by the Justice Gap, Winchester prison is now one of a string of prisons to be put into such measures. The Guardian reported that the inspection letter was the second formal request this month (and the ninth since November 2022) from HM Inspectorate of Prisons for a formal ministerial intervention into a prison. This pressure comes amidst fears that the Ministry of Justice budget is to be on ‘the chopping block’ in the upcoming budget, despite concerns that the prison systems are already on the verge of collapse.
Earlier this week, the government announced a review into sentencing to try to solve the prison crisis. Commenting on the situation in Winchester, Mark Day, Deputy of the Prison Reform Trust stated that, ‘Inspectors are right to lay the blame on systematic failings within the prison service and Ministry of Justice. This week’s sentencing review highlights a dawning realisation at the very top of government that a radical change to our approach to imprisonment is needed.’